On July 21, 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was signed into law. Included in this sweeping legislation are provisions making permanent the current $250,000 maximum federal deposit insurance level, which was due to expire Dec. 31, 2013.

Your Pittsford FCU member accounts are now permanently insured to at least $250,000 by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, a federal insurance fund backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. Depending on how you have your accounts titled, you may actually have more than $250,000 of coverage.

We have launched a mobile version of our website to make it easier for mobile browsers to navigate and find the most commonly referred to information at PittsfordFCU.org. Visitors who browse PittsfordFCU.org on their mobile devices will automatically be directed to our mobile-friendly site and have access to current rates, ATM and branch locations and our contact information. Under development for 2011 is a truly mobile banking platform supporting text, web, and mobile app banking.

We’ve wondered for years why someone would willingly choose to pay a $25 fee every time they temporarily spend money they don’t have. But that’s what thousands of consumers do every day just to avoid the embarrassment of having their debit card denied in public. So-called “Courtesy Pay” or “Overdraft Privilege” programs had become so popular as revenue generators, banking regulators took a closer look. Ultimately, they decided most consumers would be better off if they knew more about these programs.

The new regulations have forced all banks and credit unions that offer Courtesy Pay to require their customers to “Opt-in” before the fees can be charged. The hope is that during the Opt-in process, consumers will better understand just how expensive these services are.

At Pittsford FCU, we’ve never offered Courtesy Pay – charging fees to allow members to spend money they don’t have. Instead, we offer overdraft transfers, where money is automatically transferred from another Pittsford FCU account when you inadvertently spend more than your available checking balance. You can use a Savings Account, Overdraft Line of Credit or other account. And, while we charge a small fee for this service (maximum $1.00 transfer fee per day), it’s a far cry from the $25 to $35 per transaction you can expect to pay for a Courtesy Pay program.

So, if you receive notification from another financial institution asking you to “Opt-in,” take just a moment and give it some thought. Do you really want to pay $25 for the “privilege” of temporarily spending money you don’t have? The better option is to make sure your Pittsford FCU accounts are set up to help you get ahead financially.

World-class entertainment close to home

Pittsford FCU continues to partner with the Nazareth College Arts Center to offer credit union members discounted tickets to Arts Center productions of world-class dance, children’s theatre and international entertainment.

Pittsford FCU members receive $3 off on tickets purchased to evening performances (does not include Garth Fagan Dance performances) or a $1 discount to family shows, including productions of: Androcles and the Lion, Tomie dePaola’s Strega Nona The Musical, Hansel and Gretel, the Rochester City Ballet in Peter and the Wolf, Disney’s Aladdin Jr., And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank, Alice in Wonderland, and more.

To purchase tickets

Please call the Nazareth College Arts Center box office at (585) 389-2170. The box office is open Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on days of performances, from 11 a.m. to curtain. You may also visit the box office in the upper lobby of the Arts Center. To receive the discount, please identify yourself as a Pittsford FCU member. For more information, visit artscenter.naz.edu.

You could win a trip to the Super Bowl for life

Imagine being in the stands for every great Super Bowl match-up yet to come. Visa® could be your ticket to the Super Bowl every year – for the rest of your life! Learn more about the Visa 2010 NFL Super Bowl Trip for Life Sweepstakes by visiting visa.com/NFL through Dec. 31, 2010.

eStatements add green
to community

As part of a green effort, Pittsford Federal Credit Union has donated 12 trees and several shrubs to help beautify the Town of Pittsford.

The trees, a combination of Honey Locust, Forsythia and Hedge Maple, are being planted on town-owned land along the Clover and Tobey intersection and along Knickerbocker Road.

The donation is part of our “It Pays to Go Green with eStatements” campaign. This campaign has encouraged members to switch from paper statements to electronic statements, which has reduced expenses, conserved valuable resources, and further protected members’ private, personal financial information. A portion of the savings is being used to further various green initiatives like this one. Go paperless with eStatements at PittsfordFCU.org/GoGreen.